WHERE YOU COME FROM DOESN'T DETERMINE WHERE YOU END UP

Watch Ready to Rise

Ready to Rise
(56:21)

Ready to Rise Trailer
(2:35)

Web Exclusive #1
(2:16)

Web Exclusive #2
(4:07)

Where Are They Now?
(1:19)

Follow the journeys of Michael, Ryan, and Summer--three young people who are part of the 5.6 million youth in America currently out of work, out of school, and struggling with challenges as extreme as homelessness. As they travel the country in Roadtrip Nation’s green RV, they meet people who’ve been in their shoes—people who show them it’s possible to not only rise above adversity, but harness it for success.

FUELED BY:

INSIGHTS FROM THE FILM

“Recognize the power that you have. You are more powerful than you know.”

Antonio French, City Alderman, St. Louis, Missouri's 21st Ward

“Get people to stand in awe of what you've carried, rather than standing in judgment of how you carried it.”

Father Greg Boyle, Founder/Director, Homeboy Industries

“Go to where the love is.”

Jill Weiss-Ippolito, Founder/Director, UpRising Yoga

“Don't set the bar at 'perfection.' Perfection means getting to where you want to be, not to where everyone else says you should be.”

Jes Ward, Executive Director, CityWILD

“People are going to be looking for you to bend, to break. But are you going to give them what they're looking for? Or are you going to continue to fight forward?”

Pernell Bush, Fellow, The Mission Continues

“We all come from some place that we didn't necessarily choose. But we can choose where we're going.”

Chris Gardner, Author, The Pursuit of Happyness

FEATURED INTERVIEWS

Father Greg Boyle
Founder/Director, Homeboy Industries

Chris Gardner
Author, The Pursuit of Happyness

Fatimah Ashgar
Poet

Jill Weiss
Founder/Yoga Teacher, UpRising Yoga

Jes Ward
Executive Director, cityWILD

Pernell Bush
Fellow, The Mission Continues

Arel Moodie
Entrepreneur

Elizabeth Clay Roy
Co-Director, South Bronx Rising Together

Antonio French
City Alderman, St. Louis, Missouri's 21st Ward

THERE'S MORE WHERE THIS CAME FROM

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5.6 million young people are out of work and out of school.
We’re giving them a vehicle to explore their potential—pun intended.

This summer, three out of work and out of school youth will climb aboard Roadtrip Nation’s RV and travel across the country to interview inspiring individuals who have also struggled with adversity and overcome it to build fulfilling lives and careers. We’ll film the experience and feature it in a documentary to give young people the tools to see—and start pursuing—the possibilities.

RoadtripNation

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore... (Just kidding, we totally snapped this pic in the middle of a field in Kansas.) #roadtrip #OppYouth2015 #fieldofdreams #RoadtripNation

Ghost Rock, Utah. #👻 #OppYouth2015 #roadtrip #RoadtripNation

Livin' the dream!

Utah traffic jam. #moooove #OppYouth2015 #roadtrip

Hold on! Let me take a selfie.

EPIC rock formations!

Summer and Ryan, on the rocks.

Happy 4th!

Day 3 on the road! Hopefully we won't get held up by holiday traffic... #wishusluck #OppYouth2015 #roadtrip (PS-can you spot our Green RV sticker?)

The team gets all dolled up!

Team tree pose!

Legendary sports trainer, Gary Vitti.

These three hit the road today on our Opportunity Youth Roadtrip! We'll be posting more from their adventure over the next few weeks, as they drive across the country. Wheeeee! #OppYouth2015

Just wrapped at homeboy industries in downtown LA!

FUELED BY:

THE ROADTRIPPERS

RYAN

SUMMER

MICHAEL

RYAN BATES

Age 20
From Patterson, CA

Ryan Bates hasn’t had it easy. Raised in a crime-ridden neighborhood, he has
at times found himself down and out, hopping from couch to couch. Struggle
has been ever-present, but it has also fueled his tremendous drive. Determined
to care for his family and find a path he’s passionate about, Ryan tries to
ignore the messages that tell him he won’t succeed and instead focuses on
creative outlets like rapping and working hard at his job. He aspires to uplift
his community in some way, and believes the opportunity to travel and meet
mentors from similar backgrounds will open him up to a whole new world of
possibility.

SUMMER FREE

Age 20
From Thousand Palms, CA

Summer Free has been looking for a support system her whole life. Raised in a foster
care environment without a defined sense of family to guide her, she knows what it’s
like to feel alone in the world, and dreams of becoming a crisis counselor to help
others who face similar challenges. The kind of mentorship she wants to provide has
been a life vest in her own life: she credits teachers and mentors as pillars who helped
her find the strength to see her own potential. She’s determined not to let her
circumstances dictate who she can be, and sees this road trip as a chance to stretch
her borders, explore who she is, and develop the confidence needed to follow her aspirations.

MICHAEL PERDOMO

Age 24
From Schenectady, NY

Michael Perdomo experienced persistent hardship from an early age that pushed him to
desperate measures, tested his resilience—and ultimately shaped him into the youth advocate
he is today. Raised in a poverty-stricken neighborhood, by age 12 he found himself involved
in gang life to get by. He had dropped out of high school and finished a stint in a juvenile
detention center when he resolved to turn his life around. A program called YouthBuild
Schenectady gave him the support he needed to awaken his potential, and today Michael is a
strong leader who guides others battling similar adversity. He hopes this road trip will give
him the wisdom and experiences to further develop his purpose and share his story with others.